Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 finalists announced

21 August 2026
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The finalists for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 have been announced, bringing together a spectacular collection of images celebrating the ocean, from extraordinary wildlife encounters to the people working to protect it.

Southern elephant seal pups explore shallow rock pools on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands, testing their first movements in the water after being weaned by their mothers. These young seals must quickly learn to swim and survive independently. As they climb over one another and investigate their surroundings, this scene captures a key moment in their journey from land-bound pups to ocean explorers. Credit: Matthew Smith / Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026
Southern elephant seal pups explore shallow rock pools on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands, testing their first movements in the water after being weaned by their mothers. These young seals must quickly learn to swim and survive independently. As they climb over one another and investigate their surroundings, this scene captures a key moment in their journey from land-bound pups to ocean explorers. Credit: Matthew Smith / Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026

Among the standout images by local photographers are a curious sea lion pup by well-known underwater specialist Matty Smith,  a shark swimming in the Maldives by Tim Burgess, and dolphins riding a wave in Sydney by our own Landscape Awards 2026 category winner Gergo Rugli, among others. 

Dolphins ride the waves alongside surfers at Tamarama Beach, Sydney, during a powerful swell and offshore winds. The pod stayed with the surfers for more than an hour, moving through the lineup as naturally as the people around them. | Gergo Rugli / Ocean Photographer of the Year
Dolphins ride the waves alongside surfers at Tamarama Beach, Sydney, during a powerful swell and offshore winds. The pod stayed with the surfers for more than an hour, moving through the lineup as naturally as the people around them. | Gergo Rugli / Ocean Photographer of the Year

New for 2026 is the Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds category, which focuses on the ocean's smallest inhabitants.

Ocean Photographer of the Year founder and director Will Harrison said the finalists had produced work of “extraordinary depth and courage”.

The category winners and overall Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 will be announced in September.

See all the finalists in the Ocean Photographer of the Year Winners Gallery, and a selection of the finalists below.

A New Zealand fur seal tears apart a rough skate in the waters of New Zealand, while seabirds gather for the scraps. Unable to swallow such large prey whole, the seal throws the skate repeatedly to break it into smaller pieces. Photographed from a kayak. | Allan Cronin / Ocean Photographer of the Year
A New Zealand fur seal tears apart a rough skate in the waters of New Zealand, while seabirds gather for the scraps. Unable to swallow such large prey whole, the seal throws the skate repeatedly to break it into smaller pieces. Photographed from a kayak. | Allan Cronin / Ocean Photographer of the Year
From the Wildlife category. A scorpionfish consumes a lizardfish. The compact composition isolates the interaction using a snoot to direct light onto the two fish while keeping the background subdued. | Andrea Michelutti / Ocean Photographer of the Year
From the Wildlife category. A scorpionfish consumes a lizardfish. The compact composition isolates the interaction using a snoot to direct light onto the two fish while keeping the background subdued. | Andrea Michelutti / Ocean Photographer of the Year
A powerful wave breaks off the coast of Tahiti, its lip shaped by offshore winds as sunlight turns the spray into a glowing veil. Shot from a jet ski using a long telephoto lens, a moment of ocean chaos is transformed into a carefully balanced landscape, reminiscent of the famous print ‘The Great Wave’ off Kanagawa by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. | Ben Thouard / Ocean Photographer of the Year
A powerful wave breaks off the coast of Tahiti, its lip shaped by offshore winds as sunlight turns the spray into a glowing veil. Shot from a jet ski using a long telephoto lens, a moment of ocean chaos is transformed into a carefully balanced landscape, reminiscent of the famous print ‘The Great Wave’ off Kanagawa by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. | Ben Thouard / Ocean Photographer of the Year
A Hawaiian monk seal rests with her week-old pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. Mothers nurse their pups for around six weeks without feeding, losing up to a third of their body weight while the pup grows rapidly before becoming independent. | Leighton Lum / Ocean Photographer of the Year
A Hawaiian monk seal rests with her week-old pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. Mothers nurse their pups for around six weeks without feeding, losing up to a third of their body weight while the pup grows rapidly before becoming independent. | Leighton Lum / Ocean Photographer of the Year
Five spotted eagle rays glide above the sandy seabed, their dark bodies and white markings contrasting against the pale background. These rays often travel together while searching for prey, using electroreceptors to detect hidden molluscs and crustaceans beneath the sand. | John Kowitz / Ocean Photographer of the Year
Five spotted eagle rays glide above the sandy seabed, their dark bodies and white markings contrasting against the pale background. These rays often travel together while searching for prey, using electroreceptors to detect hidden molluscs and crustaceans beneath the sand. | John Kowitz / Ocean Photographer of the Year
From the Human Connection: People and Planet category. A giant oceanic sunfish (Mola mola) glides through the clear waters of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. | Anita Verde / Ocean Photographer of the Year
From the Human Connection: People and Planet category. A giant oceanic sunfish (Mola mola) glides through the clear waters of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. | Anita Verde / Ocean Photographer of the Year
In the Pacific waters of Mexico, this photograph captures the aftermath of a successful orca hunt. Nearly an hour after a pod separated a humpback whale calf from its mother, the orcas resurfaced carrying their prey between them. The event reveals the cooperative hunting strategies of orcas, where multiple individuals work together to isolate and subdue large prey. What the image doesn’t show is that after the kill, other scavengers, including silky sharks, were drawn to the remains, showing how one event can influence an entire marine food web. Credit: Rafael Fernandez Caballero / Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026
In the Pacific waters of Mexico, this photograph captures the aftermath of a successful orca hunt. Nearly an hour after a pod separated a humpback whale calf from its mother, the orcas resurfaced carrying their prey between them. The event reveals the cooperative hunting strategies of orcas, where multiple individuals work together to isolate and subdue large prey. What the image doesn’t show is that after the kill, other scavengers, including silky sharks, were drawn to the remains, showing how one event can influence an entire marine food web. Credit: Rafael Fernandez Caballero / Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026
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